


Hot Shot

by shinealightrose



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: High School Basketball, M/M, Rivals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:30:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4868357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinealightrose/pseuds/shinealightrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chanyeol's just trying to play high school basketball the way he likes to play it; who needs teammates, especially when one of them is his lifelong (since middle school) arch-nemesis Kyungsoo, and now suddenly he's supposed to share the ball? Pfft.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hot Shot

**Author's Note:**

> Ninja!Baekchen and Ninja!Xiuhan.  
> Warning for sometimes irreverent usage of old gen Kpop group names for high schools.

Ю　○三　＼(￣^￣＼）

 

Chanyeol likes the feel of the floor beneath his feet, the squeaky catch of his shoes against the slick-looking court. Even the sweat that clings to his nape and forehead, dampening his hair like he'd just taken a shower. He likes the ball, the game, the whole entire world that is basketball. It's his dream, his art, his sport. And he's good at it, so good. The coach loves him, the school loves him. Or at least they will, once they figure out how amazing he is and how well he can shoot. He held the 3-point record over all of the juniors in the entire school district, and it's too bad his team sucked or they might have won the high school championship with just his shots alone. It's why his parents actually moved to a new neighborhood, so that Chanyeol could attend Rising East High instead of that crappy place they called a school H.O.T. Here though, Chanyeol could play with a championship-level team and actually go somewhere with his basketballs skills. Maybe get scouted and go into college on a full scholarship. That would be his dream. Here, he could be a God! 

Chanyeol swirls, avoids the travel, dribbles and jumps, fakes out one of his own team defenders who he side-steps around before making his real move. He pounces into the air, arms unfurling, and the ball flies out in a perfect arc towards the basket — where it hits the rim and bounces off. Chanyeol's whole world deflates.

"Chanyeol!" The assistant coach yells across the court, and Chanyeol already cringes, knowing what's coming next but not having any way to defend himself. "What in the blazes are you doing!? Kyungsoo was wide-open, and still you try to take that shot?! Learn to share the ball, or get off the floor!"

Even Luhan, the shorter defender, smirks at him. It's not the first time he's gotten in trouble for refusing the share the ball. Truthfully, he'd kind of seen Kyungsoo waiting on the other side just inside the 3-point line, Kyungsoo who was small and speedy and an expert in dodging or darting around even the tallest defenders. He just didn't want to give up the ball, not to Kyungsoo. It's nothing personal.

"Sorry!" he calls, and Kyungsoo shoots him a nasty face, already running back to the other side of the court to take up defensive positions. Chanyeol can't help running into the guy's shoulder and calling it an accident. Kyungsoo, unprepared to be fouled by his own teammate, takes a tumble and their coach quickly blows the whistle to discontinue play. 

"Chanyeol! What the — what did I just tell you?!" 

Because okay, maybe it is personal. He doesn't like that guy. Never has, never will. 

"You told me to pass the ball? Sorry, I just didn't see him there," he protests innocently. Sehun is already offering a hand to Kyungsoo on the ground, but the shorter player shrugs him off and gets up by himself, scowling even harder now.

"I said share the ball! I also mean, watch out for your teammates! Do you want to be benched for the rest of practice?!" 

"Sorry!" His apologies are sounding dead, even to his own ears. "Sorry, in the future I'll watch out more for the little guys!" He grins sheepishly, totally not maliciously. " _Flop_ ," he whispers under his breath the next time Kyungsoo comes near.

 

 

 

 

Kris takes him under his wing at the end of practice after they've already cleaned up. Most of the guys are already heading out. Kyungsoo has already left the locker room with his set of friends, and Chanyeol absolutely did not taunt him before he disappeared around the doorway. He hunches over due to the weight of Kris' arm on his shoulders. 

"Whaddup," says Chanyeol, exhausted and ready to go home.

For some reason, Kris has been trying extra hard to become his friend, ever since Chanyeol finished the transfer registration at the end of summer and started pre-season practices. It's kind of nice, having an instant friend like him, but just a tiny bit bothersome. Especially at times like now.

"I dunno. Hey, are you ever going to quit antagonizing Kyungsoo?" says Kris conversationally. It's also not the first time the guys have told him something like this.

"I don't know? Why? It's fun." 

Kris just chuckles. "Long as you know what you're getting into. He's not a nice one to cross."

"What, really? That little one?" Chanyeol absolutely doesn't buy into the Kyungsoo-is-a-scary-murderer fixation that half of his teammates share.  _Mental_ , is what he thinks. Chanyeol is not the kind of guy to be intimidated, no matter how many glares he gets on the court, or in the locker room, or in the hallway, or in line for the bus because of course Kyungsoo would happen to live in his new neighborhood  _and_  take the same bus. Chanyeol happily ignores him every day of his life, except when he absolutely has to. For  _teamwork_ , or some sentimental nonsense like that, and only because  _coach insists_. That Assistant Coach Joonmyun guy is such a softie. It's a good thing the main coach is loads better, and adores the ground Chanyeol walks on. Too bad that he's out for the week with the flu; he doesn't get yelled at nearly so much when Coach Yunho is on the court. 

 

 

 

Chanyeol isn't paying too much attention when he gets on the public bus that stops nearby his block. It's pretty crowded with all the people going home after the end of a long work day. There's only one available seat when he gets on, and Chanyeol courteously hovers over it, blocking anyone else from sitting there until the little old lady who got on after him can make her way back. She doesn't thank him, but Chanyeol feels her gratitude anyways. He smiles like the good samaritan he knows he is, grabs onto a floor-to-ceiling rail bar and nearly falls over when the bus jerks away from the curb. He hits his head on one of the lower hanging bars and immediately cries out. It hurts! Not fatally of course, but all the same:  _that smarts!_

He hears someone snickering from behind him and cranes his neck around, still scowling, to catch sight of the shorter basketball player. 

"Tall people problems," says Kyungsoo. It's just quiet enough in the bus despite the people and the traffic outside for Chanyeol to hear him. He does not appreciate the comment, at all. 

"Guess you'll never know, huh?" Chanyeol sniffs back. The little old lady he so chivalrously saved a seat for glares up at him, as if  _now_  all of a sudden she's mindful of rude people like him after all. There is no justice in this world. Then again, she was kind of short too, barely up to his elbow. 

Kyungsoo doesn't act like he cares anymore. He shrugs and turns away, watching the street life go by from where he hugs the side of a rail. He's also standing up, and yeah Chanyeol could probably squish him like a bug, but he also doesn't care. Kyungsoo is a peon, a peon who somehow managed to drive Chanyeol nuts back when they were on opposing teams last year. Small and swift, he had a knack for dodging all of Chanyeol's best moves, and if Chanyeol thought he could pin his team's championship loss to any one person in particular (something he won't do because he's definitely not giving Kyungsoo all the credit) it might be because of Kyungsoo (which it isn't, because as he's said, there's no way the little guy deserves any credit at all).

Now that they play on the same team though... Well, now there shouldn't be any reason for them to be adversaries. Chanyeol can just play on in his merry way and score goals because that's what he does best. 

"So you know, that team we're playing next Friday has like three guys even taller than you. Still think you can win against them?" Kyungsoo taunts out of the blue.

"Doesn't matter if they're tall," Chanyeol retorts without hesitation. "As long as I can shoot."

"Yeah, you can shoot all you want, but it doesn't count unless it actually makes the basket."

That shot he missed earlier in practice is definitely  _not_  still a sore spot in Chanyeol's mind. It definitely isn't...

"Whatever."

He realizes he loses this fight by getting angry, that's why Chanyeol ignores Kyungsoo all the way home. They get off at the same spot, walk half a block very nearly together. Kyungsoo enjoys walking right in his shadow, if just to annoy the crap out of him. It doesn't though, because Kyungsoo is far beneath Chanyeol to even care about. He hears the guy quip a sarcastic little, "Bye, and sweet dreams tonight about making that shot," before they go their separate ways. Chanyeol refuses to dream that night. In fact, he barely gets any sleep whatsoever because he's so mad at the turn life has taken him on.

When he said he wanted to transfer schools to get on a better team, he conveniently forgot that meant he'd have to deal with Kyungsoo, his arch-nemesis since stupid middle school. Sometimes life completely sucks. 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the match against Shinhwa High is also no dream game. Rising East puts up a good fight, thanks in part to how well Chanyeol plays, and Kyungsoo being a little devil on the court, but when when their other star player Tao goes out of the game on a strained ankle, not even Luhan and Kris' efforts can make up for the other team's trio of tall thugs. And yeah, that's all they are, or at least that's what Chanyeol thinks of them when one of them completely bowls over Kyungsoo (that's Chanyeol's job, thank you very much). Sehun ends up having an off-night, and the whole fourth quarter is a nightmare scenario with Rising East losing by fifteen points. 

It's a bitter end to the week. Honestly Chanyeol thought they'd be doing a whole lot better by now, now that they have him. But it's apparently not to be. Assistant Coach Joonmyun berates him for trying to do too much on his own and absolutely won't listen to Chanyeol's appeals that it's because no one else was playing well enough to pass the ball to. What a bore. The weird thing is that even Kris, his supposed bestie, makes a remark to him before they break for the night.

"You know, maybe coach is right? The number of times you could have-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Chanyeol interrupts him, knowing anyhow what he was going to say. He doesn't miss the way Kyungsoo frowns at him from across the locker room of the other school's guest wing. Doesn't think about those few times where he kinda sorta might have noticed his teammate in the absolute perfect position but Chanyeol just... didn't feel like giving the ball away. Not yet.

His parents drive him home that night since they're across town. What's worse, they even offer Kyungsoo a ride since he rode the bus all the way here, and Chanyeol gets to spend the entire car ride back sitting next to his enemy (teammate) with his bag of smelly sports gear in the narrow seat between them. Kyungsoo makes small talk with his parents and totally butters them up, but Chanyeol doesn't even pay attention. Much.

 

 

 

 

Apparently after they lose again to G.O.D. his teammates think it's worrisome enough to stage an intervention. Chanyeol doesn't even know what they're on about but even their school's mascot Jongdae signs up for the afterparty-that's-not-a-party. Nobody  _really_  wants to celebrate another loss, but by the time several dozen pizza boxes and a case full of 3-liter Dr. Pepper bottles make their way into the outer wing of the locker rooms, somebody overdoses on sugar and carbs enough to think it's a brilliant idea to tie up Chanyeol and Kyungsoo together, back to back on the benches. 

"What the!" Kyungsoo squawks as he's manhandled by the joint forces of Luhan and Jongdae. Chanyeol's only excuse is that he didn't expect Kris to betray him, so he's still a complete noodle before he realizes what's happened: Sehun and Kris manhandling him just the same. Tao just supervises. 

"Uhmm, guys?" he protests light-heartedly, because if Kyungsoo is going to the one who shouts, then Chanyeol should take the high road and pretend this is no big deal. It's not a big deal at all if the only things he can move are his legs, because his back is held immobile next to Kyungsoo's shorter form, and both of their hands are tied by their sides. 

"Elbow or headbutt each other all you want," Jongdae cackles, his mascot's jersey set aside, "but from my prime spot as cheerleader of this team, it's obvious you two have issues so... have at 'em!" 

He looks way too cheerful to be the prime instigator of this little interrogation. Kyungsoo yells at him, promises to murder Baekhyun the next time he sees him because evidently that's supposed to hurt Jongdae (Chanyeol thinks the two of them have a thing for each other), but the mascot is unfazed. Even the two student trainers Yixing and Jongin just laugh and smirk at the situation. Kris only shrugs when Chanyeol appeals for help. 

"So, should we get this started!" Luhan clasps his hands in what he must assume is a serious expression; it's not, but nobody's told him this yet.

"What exactly are we supposed to start?" Kyungsoo rumbles ominously. Chanyeol may just have an inkling of what everybody's been talking about so far.

"Uhmm," says Luhan, less confidently than before.

"Maybe I should start?" says Jongdae. "Let's see... well it's evident that you two have a problem with each other so, shall we lay them all out?"

Kyungsoo snorts. "A problem? Us? Don't include me in this. It's all his fault." He shoves a bony shoulder into the less than meaty part of Chanyeol's back, making the taller guy squeak. Somehow, Chanyeol begins to rethink that moment on the court when he threw the ball to Kris instead of Kyungsoo even though Kris was in a less than ideal spot. The ball ended up being turned over to the other team, all because Chanyeol didn't like the look Kyungsoo was giving him. 

"Yeah, I was getting to that," says Jongdae.

"Why have a discussion?" Tao interrupts him lazily, almost yawning. "They don't play well together. I say Chanyeol just transfers back to wherever he came from. He's not helping us like this." He waves one of his crutches around in the air, and oh yeah-Tao may have also been in a good spot on the bench for that time when Chanyeol accidentally tripped Kyungsoo only because he didn't quite see him in his peripheral vision. 

Kris sneers like the confused man-child he is. "Transferring is... a little much? Can't you guys just, look out for each other more?"

Kyungsoo protests this hotly. "Look out for him more? Again, why are you including me in this? How can I look out for him anymore? He's everywhere I look. It's not my fault he refuses to pass me the ball?!"

"Yeah," says Luhan, "but you did kind of step on his toes during the pre-game warmup." 

Chanyeol nods because, yes, there was that. 

"And you also dumped gatorade all over his clean jersey a couple nights ago," Jongin suddenly provides. 

"And we're definitely blaming you for cutting his shoelaces after the end of last week's game." Yixing adds to the mix.

"Lies," Kyungsoo sneers, but Chanyeol's just happily nodding away because  _See, see?_  He's not the only one at fault here. Kris looks like he believes him, but apparently he doesn't think Chanyeol's mid-game retaliations are good revenge tactics. At least Chanyeol doesn't act childish like Kyungsoo does. 

"Can't we just like, discuss this normally though?" Chanyeol begs, because his right arm is starting to fall asleep, and Kyungsoo is steady abusing the indent of his back with his shoulders. 

"Nope, no can do," says Sehun. "Not until both of you agree to quit being brats."

"Says the brattiest guy here," Kyungsoo retorts. Chanyeol can only see the way Sehun flinches back, and not the expression that makes it happen, so perhaps it's a good thing he's not in a position where he has to look at Kyungsoo's face.

"Hey, hey, but don't you deny that  _you_ ," Jongdae sternly addresses Kyungsoo, "were the brains behind stealing all of Chanyeol's clothes and towel last Monday in the shower rooms!" 

Kyungsoo goes still. 

"Wait, that was you?!" Chanyeol yells. He was almost certain it had been Baekhyun, because Jongdae's  _friend_  was kind of known for doing stupid pranks like that on unsuspecting athletes, but Kyungsoo...

"Your silence is telling," Sehun points out, already mollified from his earlier scathing attack. 

"Maybe he just wanted to see Chanyeol naked," Luhan suggests. 

Kyungsoo goes still again, but only for half a second. "I did not-- _did not_  do anything like that!" 

Who knows why but there's a blush rushing to reveal itself on Chanyeol's face. He'd had to search high and low for his clothes in two locker rooms and totally failed to find them until Kris came back to check on him, hands rushing immediately over his own eyes so he wouldn't have seen his friend's junk. That part wasn't the embarrassing part, though- it was definitely Kyungsoo coming in moments after that and scoffing, actually scoffing at his size. Not that Chanyeol thought he had anything to be ashamed of. Just because  _he's_  a giant doesn't mean every portion of his body has to be the same.

Chanyeol squirms, but then so does Kyungsoo, and it's more of a 'get me outa here so I can run away' wiggle than his previous 'let me out so I can murder you all' fidget. 

"Maybe he likes him," says Tao. 

"Ohhh! I hadn't even thought about that!" Jongdae is quick to join the bandwagon. 

Kyungsoo of course hotly protests, but Chanyeol starts thinking back to everything he knows about the guy. The first time they met, enemies on opposing teams. He swears there had to be a time when they didn't hate each other, it's just that animosity builds over time and here they are now. Kyungsoo liking him though... why?

"I do not!" says the shorter guy, still squirming. Chanyeol doesn't even do much to fight him back. He sits there and takes all the shoulder hits, wishing Kyungsoo would just stop moving. It would make everything a lot easier. Right now all he accomplishes is to squish their semi-nonexistent butt cheeks together, and that feels weird. 

"Uggh, let us go please?" Chanyeol tries again. He gets indifferent looks from everyone but Kris and Luhan, and since he knows by now that Kris is just a follower, he pouts extra hard at Luhan. "Luhan? Please?"

The guy appears to be thinking about it, even though Jongdae strikes him across the chest for even considering the idea. "I don't know. Maybe?"

Kyungsoo groans in frustration. "Luhan, just tell us what you want so you can untie us, please?!"

Luhan suddenly grins, and that's a frightening enough apparition. "Actually, I've thought of something."

"What!" says Sehun, "Before they come to an agreement?"

Luhan whines at him. "Shut up, I've just thought about something important okay?" To Chanyeol he returns his attention and says, "So... you know on your last team... there's this guy named Minseok, right?"

"Yes..." says Chanyeol. 

"Cute, adorable, eyes like an angel and innocent as a kitten?" Luhan supplies.

"I was going to say, the guy who flirts with anything that moves, but yeah sure?"

Luhan doesn't seem to mind though. "Oh. Well, anyways I was wondering if you could hook us up? Do that and I'll let you go. Oh, and be nice to Kyungsoo too, okay?" he adds when Jongdae swats at him again.

Tao looks disgusted at them all. "You can't give in so soon, Luhan. I say we all just walk away and let them deal with this on their own. Then maybe we can let them go."

To both Chanyeol's and Kyungsoo's horror, the rest of the guys seems to think this is a good decision, all except Luhan who looks disappointed, but they gather up the remnants of their food and drinks and assorted stuff anyways. Not even Kris will save him, although he does them an encouraging nod when they all file out, one more shout of, "Get me Minseok's number!?" from Luhan before they close the door and it's just Chanyeol and Kyungsoo alone.

The room smells stale, although slightly scented by aroma of pizza. At least Chanyeol took a shower earlier. It's small consolation against his current situation which is... strung up together against Kyungsoo's cozy little body. 

His partner in punishment doesn't even say anything. Instead he just hangs his head a little, all his shouting earlier going for naught, and Chanyeol thinks he hears the guy vow to get payback later, but that's the last thing he says verbally and now he just sighs and pities himself.

Now that there's nobody interrogating them, Chanyeol tries to wiggle his arms out of their binding. He only succeeds in knocking the back of his fingers against Kyungsoo's, accidentally intertwining them before he jerks and pulls away.  _Awkward_.

He clears his throat instead. "So..."

"So, what," Kyungsoo instantly responds, quite gruffly too.

"So..."

"So, I really like playing basketball, and you're an ass. What else is there to talk about?"

Well, when Kyungsoo puts it that way. He tries to imagine what his old friend Minseok might have said in this situation. Probably something like,  _But you like my ass?_ Somehow, Chanyeol doesn't think that would fly too well with Kyungsoo. He also doesn't think it's going to help his case for apologizing for not playing fairly on the court, because apologizing would be like admitting the truth, and truthfully Chanyeol just doesn't like him and so he doesn't want to play with him. He means, he doesn't like him  _like that_ , on the court, in the game... Maybe if they hadn't met as rivals before? 

"Why don't we like each other again?" he asks a few minutes later, already forgetting that he'd vowed not to admit it.

"Uhm, let's see. You called me owl-eyes and almost took out my nose with a basketball the first day we met. I wiped my bloody nose on your shirt and you flipped out."

"Oh, yeah." Now Chanyeol remembers it. 

In the end, none of the guys come back for them, and that leaves Assistant Coach Joonmyun to show up shortly before midnight to check why the light is still on in the locker rooms. He goes through a short freak out moment, promises to filet the rest of their teammates and then escorts Kyungsoo and Chanyeol out of the school. In between alternating apologizes and 'so what did you talk about' inquiries, both guys pretend not to look at each other while they stretch their sore arm muscles and grumble. Joonmyun ends up driving them both home in his car, and once again they don't speak across the backseat. 

 

 

 

They win the next game, but that's only because the school they're playing, Sechs Kies, frankly sucks. At least this time no one yells at Chanyeol for not sharing the ball - he threw it to Kyungsoo once, but then his teammate didn't even make his shot and Chanyeol can't be blamed for that. There are also no locker room accidents this week, possibly because Chanyeol has been extra vigilant and watching Kyungsoo's every move. That gatorade he dumped over his shirt the week prior had been blood red, possibly a throwback to Kyungsoo's bloody nose smear when they were twelve, and his mom complained for hours about the stain. 

Of course now that he's been  _watching_ , protecting his stuff you know, he can't help but notice Kyungsoo more... also that Kyungsoo keeps noticing him back. Not just during practice, but during school as well, in the halls, in the locker room. Like Chanyeol is waiting for Kyungsoo to do something, and Kyungsoo is just waiting to be caught. It's nerve-wracking, and also kind of fun. A kind of antagonism Chanyeol never knew existed. It amuses their teammates, and really befuddles Kris. 

"You sure you guys didn't like... agree to something that night?" he asks one day after Chanyeol sneaks up on Kyungsoo standing too near his locker. The shorter player smiles like he has every right to hover wherever he wants, and then he slinks off.

"Like what?" Chanyeol asks. 

"Like, I don't know... it's like you're flirting or something."

"Flirting!? How is this flirting?!" 

Kris grumbles away noncommittally but says enough that makes Chanyeol wonder if all this  _watching_  isn't being misconstrued as something else. Chanyeol admits though he has a whole lot more fun 'accidentally' tripping over Kyungsoo one afternoon during practice, and they both go tumbling down. It's all misplaced limbs and unapologetic sneers when he helps him up, but Chanyeol can't help smiling at the whole thing, after he gets up and jogs the other way. Luhan elbows him later in the ribs and smiles a knowing smile. Not that Chanyeol knows anything he's referring to. Ever since Chanyeol refused to give him Minseok's number for not coming back to save him, Luhan's been all buddy buddy with everything he does, like he thinks playing cupid to Chanyeol will get him his prize. 

 

 

 

 

Really though, the game that matters most is against Chanyeol's old school. It's H.O.T against Rising East, with Jongdae parading around in his 'God' costume against some poor mascot that looks like a teletubby duck in overalls. Chanyeol doesn't pay attention to their rivalry; he's more concerned that Kyungsoo looks especially motivated tonight. Also that Luhan does not--he keeps trying to get a glimpse of Chanyeol's former teammates (or rather, just one) and that's just distracting. 

It's even more distracting once the game starts, because Luhan is off-kilter and therefore everyone else needs to step up their game. That means playing better; that means paying more attention; that means passing the ball and perhaps Chanyeol should be more aware of where Kyungsoo is on the court. Tao's still not playing full minutes, and Luhan's distracted. Sehun is grumpy, and Kris knows things won't go well unless Chanyeol and Kyungsoo play like a team. Assistant Coach Joonmyun is shouting from the sidelines, even louder than Head Coach Yunho. All of them keep reminding Chanyeol of what he needs to be doing, but for some reason, somehow his head's clearer than ever. Knowing how important this is, for his pride, for his team, for the championship for which this is definitely a testing ground. 

It's funny though how he can't lose sight of Kyungsoo even if he tries. The smaller player is faster than usual, more determined than usual, hitting more shots, he's absolutely running circles around Minseok who grows increasingly exasperated. Chanyeol remembers when that was him, and he was the one stuck dealing with Rising East's little firecracker player. Now though he's kind of proud, a little bit smitten with Kyungsoo's source of glee, eyes blazing every time he does something awesome. He catches his eyes once after a particularly good bounce pass leaves Kyungsoo with a perfect shot. Their look of shared triumph is a far cry from all those times in years past when they were one-against-one, Chanyeol growing ever more infuriated because Kyungsoo gets so low to the ground when he dribbles that Chanyeol has practically no chance of snatching the ball away. Minseok doesn't have quite the same problem (Kyungsoo's not on the same level basically as his crotch as he was with Chanyeol) but it's exhilarating to be on this side of it, and he beams at Kyungsoo to let him know it.

They're 10 points up with several minutes to spare, hardly worthy of a buzzer beater finale but either way Chanyeol's feeling good, and he can feel his teammates thinking the same thing. For once they've got it together, they're playing like a team, and it's suddenly way cooler to feel this way than when Chanyeol was trying all by himself. H.O.T closes part of the gap, though it's still nothing to worry about. Chanyeol just needs to start hitting his 3-pointer shots to make everyone feel confident. He sets himself up right behind the line, lets Luhan draw away the defender and then he passes the ball to Kyungsoo who's perfectly positioned. Instead, and Chanyeol catches his eye again, Kyungsoo only fakes a shot from under the basket, tossing it out to Chanyeol, and Chanyeol knows this is it. His turn to shine and prove his worth for everything he's got. Minseok realizes too late what Chanyeol's about to do and though he jumps he's still not tall enough to block the shot. Chanyeol side-steps him anyway, pounces into the air and throws the ball in a perfect arc through the air.

It still hits the rim and bounces off.  _For the love of everything beautiful in this world!_  Chanyeol hates himself. But Kyungsoo catches the rebound and puts it in anyways and  _damnit!_  Fine, whatever, Chanyeol doesn't care. They win the game and Kyungsoo can smirk at him all he wants, but hey, at least Chanyeol tried! They leave the court, everyone except Luhan's who's still trying his luck with the other team's player, and Chanyeol absolutely does not meet Kyungsoo's taunting glance while they celebrate and clean and pack up. Not when their coaches pat Kyungsoo on the back, and not even when Joonmyun compliments Chanyeol for his... efforts. 

It's only when they go home much later that evening, standing up side-by-side in the crowded bus that Chanyeol even acknowledges him, and not for lack of effort on Kyungsoo's part. He happens to glance down when he bus sways ominously, unconsciously about to rescue Kyungsoo if he happened to fall. Of course though it wasn't needed. 

Kyungsoo just looks up at him and scowls at the arm Chanyeol was about to offer. His eyes drift from Chanyeol's face to his hand and back again a few times before Chanyeol clears his throat and tries to look away. When he checks again though, it's to see Kyungsoo smirking, almost smiling at his awkwardness. This isn't exactly how he planned on finishing this night. He clears his throat again just because, what else is he supposed to say.

Kyungsoo says it for him. "So, are we friends now?"

"Friends?" Chanyeol repeats like the idiot he feels. 

"How about, not enemies?" Kyungsoo supplies.

"Not enemies." That sounds good. Chanyeol can live with this.

"Just since I think we've proven to everyone on the team that we can play together."

"Yeah... okay." Chanyeol feels tongue-tied. He's never had to deal with a situation where Kyungsoo is actually talking to him, conversing with him like they're equals.

"Or, at least you've learned how to take it well, when I have to clean up your mistakes."

What was it Chanyeol was just thinking? That Kyungsoo was kind of nice? He takes it all back.

"Whatever," he mutters, trying to brush it all off. He'll lose this if he gets mad. Kyungsoo's waiting for it, he just knows it. Instead, he brushes it off, tries to ignore him, tries to ignore Kyungsoo smiling and smirking, that brilliant combination he does so well. So infuriating, so cute. Not that he's thinking that, at all. 

"Sure, whatever," says Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol knows somehow that he's still lost this game. And will continue to lose it forever. 

 

Ю　　○　＼(・・＼)

 


End file.
